The Opelousas courier., 1887-11-12
rrooDs and the Strikers.

!, .r;l not do for planters to meet Sc
"a agree upon rates, swear to stand
asly, eother and enforce the tariff 30
y ared by eiectmeut of laborers on to
s1fs L!scbwny. precisely as the landlords
Ireland do, aud even call on the Gov
asar Il the state to assist them by the
s.lv 4 troops. Is it not a like exercise
;rdafensible and arbitrary power
q las brought upon England the con
W. s.nation of The civilized world for bru-
sslity to the Irish J
And the article closes as fol-
lows:
= ,he rights of the laborers are de
a;ad. if i is attempted to suppress
Ts;gbts Of Labor by Gatling guns, Gov.
asoRSar will find that he has under
aason ! lob of large dimensions, and Of
sss;no in return no political compensa-
ton whatever.
The Item is of the opinion
tbaf it's contemporary makes a
crave mistake in it's conception
q the points of the controversy.
The question at issue is not
the right ofthe laborers to strike;
hough in this instance they have
siolafed a contract, as there was
amutual understanding between
EMPLOYERS and employees in re-
gard to harvest rates, and under
fhis agreement work had been
sarried on for two or three weeks.
But to illustrate the question
ii issue, let us suppose that the
force Id the composition room of
our ueighbor was to ssdke; not
Only to strike but to refuse to
lave the composition room not
only to refuse to leave the COM
position room but to prevent
any new hands from entering.
The logic Of the Chronicles
a~rgunpent is that the planters
must always yield to strikes,
since there is no other recourse
if the latter may not be remov-
cd to make room for men will
ing to work.
Our contemporary seems to
think that the planters would
have acted wisely to yield to the
present strike. Had they done
so, the violation therein of ex-
isting contracts being consider
ed, what assurance would there
be that a strike for even $5 a
day would not occur cQincident
with d freeze, when thS planter
must yield again to the strikers
Or submit to the immediate loss
Of bis standing crop9
These hands worked through
the long summer days at go or
65 cents a day. Though winter
work is only nine hours a day,
wages were raised DIS usual to 81
for harvest, because at this sea-
ION there is a better demand for
hands, and competition compels
the higher price. This ises good
wages for this class of work as
ii paid ID any part of the conn.
try. But whether it is or not,
the Chronicle can not reason
ably compare the condition O
the plantation negroes with thai
of Irish tenants, for, if reports
a9eak true, the habitations
household comfort, diet and wa
ges of the former are almost
princely c~ontrasted with those
DC the latter. And who ever
heard of the worst oppressed .
Irish tenants committing or ever
threatening violence upon ths
wives aud daughters of even theiI
bitterest foes 7
The appeals for troops were
not made to deny any rights t.
the striking laborers, and The
Calling gun was not sent to sup
press the Knights of Labor. Blu
To = rejecting mind II woule
seem that there were homes con
tanning Womea aud children t,
guard from possible outrage, y
veil as that the planters and thu
laborers who were willing t
work had some rights entitled
to protection. To sustain thes,
rights aud obligations the mill
taFy force was promptly ant
wisely sent.
The planter had, after tel
months of toll, succeeded in max
ing and begun to harvest q fin
crop. Not only his own money
put In many instances all b
could borrow, was invested il
toe standing cane. Still, tn
bright prospect made him hope
fal Of lifting mortgages and be
coming indepenaent. But jus
q the beginning of harvest
Wnen good yields show that ex
peetati0n Is about tO BIZ realiz
eu' work stops. The Iaborer
decree that the crop shall not b